Leinster SFC Round 1

WICKLOW 1-20 OFFALY 1-15 AET

By Kevin Egan at O’Moore Park

A stunning display of dead ball shooting from Wicklow goalkeeper Mark Jackson lit up an otherwise error-strewn encounter at O’Moore Park this afternoon, as Daragh Fitzgerald’s extra time goal clinched victory and set up a clash between the Garden County and the All Ireland champions in the quarter finals of the Leinster senior football championship.

Both sides had plenty of opportunities to take the win in the latter stages of this contest but Offaly will look back with regret on a series of very poor first half wides, a missed penalty from Nigel Dunne, and their inability to turn three good possessions into scoring chances in second half injury time put paid to their chances of a glamour tie at home to Dublin.

Wicklow too missed a host of chances in the second half, none more glaring that Eoin Murtagh’s attempt at fisting a point from 15 metres out in the fifth minute of stoppage time, only to see the ball drop short and into the Offaly net.

However Jackson’s accuracy kept the scoreboard ticking over for John Evans’ side, and they had the greater reserves of energy once the game went into added time, as evidenced by the way Fitzgerald glided through a tired Offaly back line before placing a low shot under Alan Mulhall.

The lack of confidence from both counties was palpable in the early stages as these two sides struggled to find their rhythm going forward, committing a series of unforced errors in a hugely disjointed opening half.

Offaly’s short range passing was woefully off the mark as they coughed up a series of good opportunities on account of errant handpasses and short foot passes, while Wicklow for their part seemed bereft of energy and movement going forward, instead depending on long balls into Sean Furlong and John McGrath, who found it difficult to gain separation from their markers close to the town end goal.

Bernard Allen had no such difficulty as he led the way for the Faithful County in the early stages, shaking off his marker with constant running lines and picking off three excellent scores from play. However Wicklow were still right in the tie as two long range dead ball points from Jackson kept them in contention, even after an excellent solo goal from Anton Sullivan gave Offaly a little bit of breathing room.

Craig Dunne, Conor Carroll and Nigel Dunne all had chances to extend the lead, but they missed the target and two frees from Sean Furlong either side of half time, followed by a John Crowe point, left the minimum between the sides.

The sides traded scores up until the 55th minute, when points from Dean Healy and Furlong tied up the game, setting up a tense finish. A foul on James Lalor gave Offaly a glorious chance to take a clear lead from the penalty spot, but Jackson proved himself to be Wicklow’s hero once more as he dived low and left to turn Nigel Dunne’s penalty out for a 45. Three times Offaly took the lead, the first from that ’45, but three times Wicklow levelled, before both sides missed opportunities in the five minutes of injury time that were added on by Jerome Henry.

Wicklow drew first blood in extra time, Mark Kenny firing over to make it 0-15 to 1-11, before Gerry Spollen responded for Offaly. From then on it was all Wicklow however as Furlong and Jackson racked up the points from dead balls, taking advantage of some fatigued tackling, and the contest was well and truly settled when Fitzgerald kicked off the second period of extra time with his slaloming run and cool finish.

**Scorers for Wicklow: **Mark Jackson 0-7 (0-5f, 0-2 ‘45s), Sean Furlong 0-5f, Daragh Fitzgerald 1-0, John McGrath & Mark Kenny 0-2 each, Dean Healy, John Crowe, Darren Hayden (f) & Cathal Magee 0-1 each.

Scorers for Offaly: Anton Sullivan 1-2 (0-1f), Bernard Allen 0-3, Alan Mulhall (0-2 ‘45s), Niall Darby (0-2f) and Shane Tierney 0-2 each, Nigel Dunne (f), Cian Donohue, Jordan Hayes and Gerry Spollen 0-1 each.

WICKLOW: Mark Jackson; Ciarán Hyland, Jamie Snell, Paul Merrigan; John Crowe, Dean Healy, Saoirse Kearon; Rory Finn, James Stafford; Darren Hayden, Kevin Murphy, Theo Smyth; Mark Kenny, John McGrath, Sean Furlong. **Subs: **Cathal Magee for Furlong (11, temporary), Ross O’Brien for Snell (27), Eoin Murtagh for Hyland (43, temporary), Conor Healy for Crowe (48), C Magee for Stafford (53), Daragh Fitzgerald for McGrath (67), E Murtagh for Merrigan (70+1), David Boothman for Finn (72), Finn for Smyth (84), Crowe for Hayden (90).

OFFALY: Alan Mulhall; Niall Darby, Declan Hogan, Paul McConway; David Dempsey, Seán Pender, Cian Donohue; Conor Carroll, Craig Dunne; Michael Brazil, Conor McNamee, Ruairí McNamee; Bernard Allen, Nigel Dunne, Anton Sullivan. **Subs: **Shane Tierney for N Dunne (28), Gerry Spollen for Pender (39), N Dunne for Carroll (53), Jordan Hayes for R McNamee (53), James Lalor for Brazil (56), Anthony Cunningham for Donohue (79), Brazil for C McNamee (80), Seán Doyle for Tierney (80).

Ref: Jerome Henry (Mayo)